Oakland’s Municipal ID, debit card program to launch February 1

Mayor Jean Quan and District 5 City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente announce February 1 as a launch date for the city's new municipal identification program.

Oakland officials have announced a launch date for the city’s new Municipal ID program, which would allow Oakland residents to apply for a city-issued identification card that can also be used as a debit card.

Oakland studied other cities that have implemented similar programs, including New Haven, Connecticut, and San Francisco, said Mayor Jean Quan, speaking to a room of reporters gathered at City Hall late Wednesday. But unlike the programs in those cities, Oakland’s identification cards will also include a debit function—a first in the United States—which would give banking access to people who don’t currently don’t have the documents required at large national banks, and which would create a safer alternative to carrying large amounts of cash around.

Quan, joined by outgoing District 5 Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente, who spearheaded Oakland’s program, said municipal identification cards will create protections for not only immigrants here, but also people who don’t want to state their sex, as well as young people, by giving them a legal way to identify themselves when necessary. This could be useful for undocumented immigrants who need to access healthcare, for example, or for young people who aren’t old enough to have a driver’s license. Quan said some advantages of the card will include being able to access services in the city where IDs are required, such as healthcare centers or banks.

But encouraging residents to report crime was the underlying goal, she said.